From trees to fleas: masting indirectly affects flea abundance on a rodent host  

作　　者：Ivan BALÁŽ MichałBOGDZIEWICZ Sylwia DZIEMIAN-ZWOLAK Carlotta LO PRESTI Aleksandra WRÓBEL Milena ZDUNIAK RafałZWOLAK 

机构地区：[1]Faculty of Natural Sciences and Informatics,Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra,Nitra,Slovakia [2]Department of Systematic Zoology,Adam Mickiewicz University in Pozna´n,Pozna´n,Poland [3]INRAE,LESSEM,University Grenoble Alpes,Saint-Martind’Hères,France [4]University of Catania,Catania,Italy [5]Department of Zoology,Pozna´n University of Life Sciences,Pozna´n,Poland

出　　处：《Integrative Zoology》2023年第3期440-452,共13页整合动物学（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the“Sonatina”grant no.2020/36/C/NZ8/00013;M.Z.by the“Preludium”grant no.2016/21/N/NZ8/01059;R.Z.by the“Harmonia”grant no.2018/30/M/NZ8/0052。

摘　　要：Mast seeding causes strongfluctuations in populations of forest animals.Thus,this phenomenon can be used as a natural experiment to examine how variation in host abundance affects parasite loads.We investigatedfleas infesting yellow-necked mice in beech forest after 2 mast and 2 non-mast years.We tested 2 mutually exclusive scenarios:(1)as predicted by classical models of density-dependent transmission,an increase in host density will cause an increase in ectoparasite abundance(defined as the number of parasites per host),versus(2)an increase in host density will cause a decline inflea abundance(“dilution,”which is thought to occur when parasite population growth is slower than that of the host).In addition,we assessed whether masting alters the relationship between host traits(sex and body mass)andflea abundance.We found a hump-shaped relationship between host andflea abundance.Thus,the most basic predictions are too simple to describe ectoparasite dynamics in this system.In addition,masting modified seasonal dynamics offlea abundance,but did not affect the relationship between host traits andflea abundance(individuals with the highest body mass hosted the mostfleas;after controlling for body mass,parasite abundance did not vary between sexes).Our results demonstrate that pulses of tree reproduction can indirectly,through changes in host densities,drive patterns of ectoparasite infestation.

关 键 词：Apodemusflavicollis Fagus sylvatica indirect effects pulsed resources SIPHONAPTERA 

分 类 号：Q95[生物学—动物学]